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4 | April 25, 2019 | the orland Park Prairie news <strong>OP</strong>Prairie.com Orland Park Village Board LaGrange Road hotel project back on the table with revisions Jon DePaolis Freelance Reporter The Orland Park Village Board will soon decide whether or not to bring another hotel into town after the Development Services, Planning and Engineering Committee voted 3-0 on April 15 to recommend the full board approve the project at a future meeting. Hawkeye Hotels, the petitioner of the project, is seeking approval of a fivestory, 84,514-square-foot hotel on approximately 3.89 acres of vacant land located between 16160 and 16186 LaGrange Road. The hotel is proposed to have 158 rooms and 199 parking spaces. Khurshid Hoda, director of programs and engineering services with the Village, said the project was unanimously approved by the Plan Commission on April 2. Hoda noted that in 2016, the petitioner submitted a request to build two hotels at the site. That request was met with apprehension by nearby residents. Ultimately, it was referred onto the Development Services, Planning and Engineering Committee, where the request was forwarded to the full Village Board with no recommendation. The request did not come up on the board floor, and the plan has changed since then. “What they are doing is proposing one hotel with less square footage and less number of rooms, as well as less parking,” Hoda said. The new plan is roughly a 75,000-square-foot decrease in area and a reduction of 68 rooms, Hoda said. He also noted there are 16 fewer parking spaces being requested. “We have looked at it, and there is more greenspace in this project than what it was in 2016,” Hoda added. Hoda said there were three “major elements” that were brought up at the Plan Commission meeting by residents: traffic impact, landscaping and land use compatibility. He said staff worked with the petitioner and the petitioner’s consultant to research the traffic volume at the site and projections of what it will look like after the hotel would be built. Hoda said staff also looked over landscaping plans from the petitioner, and worked with them to include “heavy landscaping” on the east and west sides of the project. Additionally, a stipulation the Village would require of the petitioner upon approval is to “return within one year of final installation of landscaping to add any additional landscaping deemed necessary by the Development Services Department to screen or further enhance the site,” per the staff report. Hoda said the Village also received two letters from restaurants near the proposed site. He said both supported the project. Jay Patel, Hawkeye Hotels, said they decided to move forward with just one hotel based on feedback they received in 2016. Trustee James Dodge also confirmed with Hoda that the Village was expecting “a minimal amount of traffic on 97th [Avenue].” Patel said the permitting phase may take up to six months, but he hopes to break ground in 2019 — ideally in September or October. “This is going to be a metal-stud building, so weather does not really affect us, as long as we excavate and have foundation and slab done,” he said. There were no comments from the public during the committee meeting. Board members bid farewell Later, during the regular meeting of the Village Board, outgoing Trustees Michael Carroll, Pat Gira and Carole Griffin Ruzich were honored by the rest of the board members and staff. Each were presented with engraved watches, flowers and street signs with their names on them. Board members and the mayor also made comments during the recognitions. Carroll complimented and thanked staff, as well as the other board members. “I do really treasure the time I’ve spent with all six of these board members with whom I’ve served,” he said. Ruzich thanked her family, the fellow board members and also the public for supporting her in past elections. “To the residents who Round It Up A brief recap of action and discussion from the April 15 meeting of the Orland Park Village Board • Alexandra Snodsmith, of the Village clerk’s office and co-chairperson of the Village’s Live Well Committee, presented a check for $2,487 to Baseball 4 All. • The Village Board voted unanimously to approve the appointment of Mohammed El Natour to the Veterans Commission. • In another unanimous vote, the Village Board approved the appointment of Sean Kampas as chairman of the Technology Commission. elected me and allowed us to do our jobs: You are the most important people to thank tonight,” she said. Gira gave plaudits to the Village staff. “We have the best,” she said of staff. Gira also complimented her fellow board members and reflected fondly on her time serving the public. “It’s been sometimes harder than others, but I have enjoyed every minute representing the residents of this community,” she said. A seemingly unprompted show of support During the nonscheduled speakers portion of the meeting, Jeff Dexter, a staff representative from the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees Council 31, addressed the Village Board to talk about labor relations. “Our members represent the public image of this Village,” Dexter said. He said in 2012, there was a strained relationship between AFSCME and the former Village manager, as well as issues in reaching a union agreement. Dexter said in 2017, when Joe La Margo was officially named Village manager, the relationship with the union improved. “Joe La Margo has worked tirelessly with our local union to not only understand in detail what we do but [also] to work through issues to ensure we avoid grievances and a host of other issues that in the past were something we could not work out,” Dexter said. Later, during board comments, Trustee Kathleen Fenton thanked staff for coming to honor the outgoing trustees before singling out La Margo for “his dedicated work, for being a great Village manager, and helping all of us do our job.” Trustee Dan Calandriello also complimented staff and added that La Margo has done “a marvelous job” since taking over as Village manager. “He’s been a great Village manager, and I just want to thank him for all his service throughout the last 13 years with the Village.” Mayor Keith Pekau by phone April 16 declined to comment status of LaMargo and the Village manager’s position in relation to what prompted a show of support for him at the meeting. Reached April 17, La Margo, when similarly asked about his status and the show of support, provided a brief statement about his status with the Village, noting he looks “forward to working with the mayor and new board.” Dexter did not return a call before press time seeking further comment. shark From Page 3 “Basically, electricity comes from coal, and that ruins the environment,” Shalabi said. “So, I created my product, which charges your phone by solar power without ruining the environment. You can carry it around, and most people — maybe college students — would probably use it a lot.” The Sharks — local business owners and organization representatives — had the opportunity to meet with students and try their products before the presentations. After each pitch, the Sharks asked questions, shared enthusiasm and offered advice. Caitlin Reiter was the first entrepreneur to give her elevator pitch. She explained that her Fidget Fun: Fidget Five features blind bags with five layers of surprise fidgets to help people stay focused. Each fidget was wrapped in bubble wrap, which also could be used as a fidget itself. Later, Adrienne Maynard said she developed her Kitten Play: Ultimate Play Pack with her cats Toby and Telly in mind. “It’s a cat toy, and I came up with this because my cats always love to play, but they get bored with the cat toys we have,” Maynard said. Musielewicz said she was grateful for the support of parents, teachers, sponsors and everyone who helped to make the Entrepreneur Expo a success. She also credited students for their efforts. “I think that when we set our expectations high for the students, they will rise to the challenge,” Musielewicz said. “And I don’t think it’s ever too early to start teaching them about personal finance and economics.”
<strong>OP</strong>Prairie.com news the orland park prairie | April 25, 2019 | 5 A wide range of emotions mark Legacy Hall ceremony Jeff Vorva Contributing Editor At the beginning, there were tears. At the end, there were big laughs. The District 230 Foundation Legacy Hall ceremony ran the gamut of emotions on April 12 at Silver Lake Country Club in Orland Park. The first of the 11 inductees was Stagg graduate Brian Baldea, a legendary University of Chicago baseball coach, who died in 2017. His son Anthony broke down crying a few times while giving a speech for his father. The last of the inductees was Stagg’s Michael Rogers, who is a Global Dams practice leader at Stantec. Legacy Hall Foundation Vice President Dave Sandburg graduate Tanya Carter had fun with those in the audience April 12 during her induction into the District 230 Foundation Legacy Hall at Silver Lake Country Club. Jeff Vorva/22nd Century Media O’Connor started to introduce Rogers, paused, and said, “I’ve never said the word ‘dam’ so much in my life.” That produced laughter from the hundreds in the crowd. It also produced laughter from O’Connor himself, who had a case of the giggles. Every time he would try to read from Please see legacy, 6 Think Spring! at Melka Garden Center April 27th Weber Demo from 10-3 pm! Visit us this Saturday! In house specials and more! Genesis II E-315 L.P./N.G. D135 Board of Education seeking advisory committee member applications by May 12 Submitted by Orland School D135 The Orland School District 135 Board of Education is seeking applicants for five advisory committees to assist in gathering information and feedback from the community to guide board’s decisionmaking. The committees will be as follows: Communications, Finance/Operations, Policy/Personnel, Teaching and Learning, and Technology. Each committee is to be made up of board members, D135 staff, and parents or community members to ensure an array of perspectives on each topic. While the advisory committees will not vote on district matters, they will provide insight to board members, and they will guide board discussion during School Board meetings. Interested parties should use the online application to apply to serve on a committee. Applications will be accepted through Sunday, May 12. Once the application window closes, a boarddirected committee, made up of board members, parents and community members, and staff members, will review and score all applications based on a rubric. Identifying information will be removed from all applications prior to the scoring process. All applicants will be notified via email once the committee selection process is complete. The online application, as well as the rubric, can be found at www.or land135.org/Page/93. For more information, contact Jen Obright, director of communications, at (708) 364-3335 or jo bright@orland135.org. Landscaping Materials Available! Mulch, Soil and Decorative Stone $ 5 Off your purchase of $30 or more *Garden center use only. Can not be combined with any other offers or coupons. No cash back. Valid till 5/7/19. coupon code #69899 11606 179th Street, Mokena (708) 349-6989 • jimmelkalandscaping.com Connect with us on social media: Gift Cards Available
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